The Favor Owed
by LotornoMiko
Summary: Hook Belle End Game. Major spoilers for the season 4 winter finale. His near death experience having changed him for the better, Hook realizes he has a long way yet to go to prove himself worthy of this new chance. Ready to make amends for past misdeeds, & owing a debt he might never be able to repay, Hook is still determined to protect Belle when Rumple makes his dark return.
1. Chapter 1

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time, or the characters in this here story. This is done purely for entertainment purposes.  
>-Michelle<p>

There was still just a bit of chill to the air, there merest whisper of cold that sent tendrils of wind caressing through his hair. It was just enough to make Hook shiver, the man pulling the collar of his jacket tighter about his neck. The wind continued it's play, lazy eddies of it catching hold of a stray napkin on a table. Hook watched the wind make it dance, the napkin bobbing and weaving, going up high, only to drop down low, but never quite stopping. It wasn't a particularly strange or unusual sight, and it certainly didn't seem worth more than a second of his time. But Hook stood there all the same, the luxury of time his to now waste.

A smile hinted at his mouth's corners, Hook watching the paper napkin dance. It was an odd quiet moment he took for himself, and it was all the more special because it was Hook's choice to make. That was something he hadn't had a lot of in the weeks leading up to this moment, so much taken from him. His emotions, his choices, his freedom, and even almost his life, Hook now had a new appreciation for just about everything around him. From the absolutely ordinary, to the outright outstanding, Hook alive and able to appreciate it now.

His returned heart so full of that overwhelming appreciation, Hook cast his gaze skywards. The stars were still out, those twinkling lights finally free of their perfect alignment. The pirate thought he breathed just a little bit better to see their course scattered, the stars no longer aligned in such a way as to do Hook any real harm. The danger was passed, and Hook was stronger to have survive it.

"I told you, Swan. I'm a survivor."

Hook had done as he had told her, the words spoken not only meant as a reassurance but as a promise. He had thought his words had had the intended effect, but now Hook wasn't so sure. Because he remembered the smile Emma had given him, and the wealth of sadness in it's expression. She hadn't been able to look him in the eyes after that, mumbling some feeble excuse about Regina needing her. He hadn't argued, Hook not wanting to push for too fast, too soon but letting Emma walk away, and on this of all nights? The word difficult didn't begin to describe it, and he couldn't at all claim to understand it. If the situation had been reversed? If Emma had been the one to nearly die? Why the last thing Hook would have done was to ditch her to spend time with someone who didn't much like him. Especially not to spend time with Regina, Hook not understanding why Emma would go to console HER and not him. Hook WAS the one who had almost been killed tonight, and he was supposed to be the one that Emma cared for.

Supposing it was Emma's way of shutting down, of protecting herself from any further hurt, Hook still didn't like it. How were they ever supposed to become more, if Emma kept pushing him away? If for every step he took forward, Emma lurched back a whole five? It was exhausting the amount of effort he had to put in, always chasing her, always trying to make her believe. He'd been through the wringer, just trying to gain a place in her heart, every scrap of affection and attention nowhere close to enough. He wasn't demanding sex from her, but he would have liked a little bit more than the brief kiss they had shared.

He was longing for the intimacy of a true couple, the touches and the words, the gentle reassurance that Emma should have been giving him. He had survived the worst of the crocodile's schemes, had nearly died, and HAD been forced to do Rumplestiltskin's evil bidding. Hook wanted Emma to hold him, to comfort and reassure him. And the pirate knew he wasn't going to get that. Not tonight, not tomorrow, and certainly not once Emma demanded a full accounting of all Rumplestiltskin had made Hook do.

His hand and his hook dirty, the pirate wasn't looking forward to the details revealed. He had killed because of Rumplestiltskin, the entire court of the Blue Fairy wiped out in a mere instant. He'd never forget their screams, or the way they had been torn apart by the hat. Hook would be haunted forever by the lives he had stolen, and by the look in the Blue Fairy's eyes the moments before she too had been broken down into nothing but magic.

Her eyes wide with fear, the Blue Fairy had known she was helpless to do anything. She hadn't even tried, had barely muttered more than a soft plea, and Hook hadn't been able to resist the pull of Rumplestiltskin's command over his heart had had. He had been helpless, a slave to the crocodile's whims, and had nearly succeeded in damning a whole town in the process.

When thought of in that way, maybe it was wise of Emma to avoid him. She wasn't going to be happy with what Hook had been forced to do, and a part of him feared Emma simply wouldn't be able to forgive him for his crimes. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it WOULD fit Emma's pattern of behavior, the woman using this as an excuse to push Hook away.

The mere thought of Emma doing that, brought a tightness to his chest. An unpleasant throb of emotion, Hook recognizing the downside to having his heart back. Because just as he could feel and appreciate life and all it had to offer, he could now suffer the downside, the pain of an unrequited affection, a love that wasn't being returned in the way that Hook needed. He didn't want to assume the worst outcome, but Hook was bracing for it all the same. Just as he thought Emma was, the woman having ditched him to run off with Regina. That none of this was fair, didn't make it hurt any less, Hook scowling up at the stars, his good mood gone.

The tension that had been with him these last few weeks surged stronger now that he had a heart to feel it with. All his anger, sadness, and regrets wrapped around him, Hook hating the crocodile even more than he had previously thought possible. Because it felt like Rumplestiltskin had cost him another great love, Emma perhaps as lost to Hook as Mila was. He didn't see how she could forgive him, for the murders, the town, and most of all, for endangering her son.

Feeling completely screwed over, Hook couldn't yet muster any cheer at the thought of the own private hell Rumplestiltskin must be going through. Belle had been beyond livid, the beauty more furious than Hook had ever seen. Her normally sweet toned voice had been like steel, her blue eyes bright with a combination of hurt and anger. She had worn his betrayal like a sleeve, the dagger clutched in her hands. Hook might have laughed at the shock and dismay on Rumplestiltskin's face, if he had had his heart to feel with at that time.

But he hadn't, and by now the novelty had worn off, Hook tired and worried, and maybe just a little too bitter to truly laugh. Maybe he'd never be able too, Hook's life in nearly as much shambles as Rumplestiltskin's. The pieces might never be picked up, might never fit back together again, and Hook could only hope that Emma would be more forgiving than Belle had seemed inclined to be.

A part of him marveled over the quiet fury that had been Belle's. He had truly never believed she had it in her, had never thought Belle had had that much spirit. He had always thought of her as doormat, a naive innocent blinded by true love. Always quick to believe the best in Rumplestiltskin, Belle hadn't faltered in her beliefs even at the reveal that the man that she had loved, had killed his own wife in cold blood.

There had been no sign of that stubbornly blind girl, the naive light gone from her eyes. In it's stead had been a steely eyed determination, the hurt from Rumplestiltskin's betrayal demanding a reckoning. Hook had seen the look in Belle's eyes, seen the anger and betrayal on her face, her heart breaking and had known. Belle wasn't about to back down, or be manipulated, her eyes open and seeing Rumplestiltskin for what he really was. Hook couldn't feel sorry for Rumplestiltskin, but he did feel it for Belle, her only crime that of loving a monster.

He felt more than just sorry for her. He felt a grudging gratitude, Hook recognizing that Belle had done what no one else had been able to. She had saved him and his heart, Rumplestiltskin unable to crush it, unable to complete the spell, unable to do anything but stand there and panic. Hook would never forget that moment, never forget the sound of her voice, Belle all but snarling as she had wielded the dagger and taken command of Rumplestiltskin. Her appearance had been that of an angry, avenging angel, Belle's arrival completely unexpected, downright miraculous and Hook hadn't been much of a thought in her head. Belle hadn't saved him because she liked Hook, no. She had done it because it was the right thing to do, the only choice for a hero to make. Hook was learning more and more about those kind of choices, abut the kind of self sacrifice and deed that went hand in hand with being good.

His heart wasn't there yet, but neither was it solely that of a villain's. Existing in some in between state, Hook had seen the black stains of his soul, but also seen the ripe red of hope coloring his heart. It might have been rotten once, but now it was something more, something on it's way to becoming better. HE was becoming better, Hook recognizing he still had a long hard road ahead of him. And whether he walked it with Emma at his side or not, Hook realized it was a path he still wanted to take.

Such a path had no room for selfish thought, Hook realizing to prove worthy, he had to make amends. He had to say and be sorry for the things he had done, the people he had hurt, and that didn't just mean for the time he was under Rumplestiltskin's thrall. Hook had done plenty of bad things all on his own, had hurt many people, quite a few of them living in this very town. He needed to be sorry, had to set things right, the first step the hardest but he took it all the same. Towards the woman who had saved him, that avenging angel who should have wanted him dead.

Belle.

She first appeared in the distance, a mostly dark yellow blob of color. That yellow was her jacket, Belle having buttoned it up from top to bottom, and still she shook from the cold. The wind teased her hair, blowing strands of it around her face. Hook spied the still fresh tears, the red rimming her eyes, but not so much as a sniffle escaped her. He watched her determined walk forward, her chin lifted in proud defiance. Rumplestiltskin was nowhere to be found, and it was as much a relief as it was jarring, Hook having expected the monster to be trailing after Belle, begging for her forgiveness.

It then registered that Belle was on foot, that her tired shaking legs were making her stumble more and more. Hook then remembered the last words she had spoken, of how she had commanded the monster to take them both to the town line for some privacy. He had no clue what could have happened next, but it was appallingly clear that Belle must have been walking for a long time indeed.

Hook moved without thinking, catching Belle on her next stumbling step forward. She immediately stiffened in response to his touch, and the way her lower lip began to tremble, Hook feared she would start openly crying.

But Belle proved stronger than that. Her lip might be trembling, but no fresh wave of tears betrayed her, her inner upset remaining her own. Hook had so many things he wanted to say, so many things to apologize for, and to thank her for. Instead he asked the most pressing question on his mind, Hook morbidly curious as to what had gone down between this woman and Rumplestiltskin.

"What...what happened, where is...?"

It was hardly the most eloquent of utterances, but Belle took to his meaning immediately. "Gone." She said abruptly. "I forced him over the town line. Don't worry, captain. He won't be threathening you any more. Not you, not anyone, not even me..."

Again her lower lip trembled, Belle seeming more angry than anything by her reaction. Hook stared at her, then moved when she did, trailing after her.

"Did you walk all this way?" He asked her, and got a curt nod as his reply. "But that's..."

"Miles I know."

"You need to sit down." Hook told her, and she shook her head. He then reached for her arm, intending to lead Belle over to one of the benches situated under the main street's night light. She tried to shrug free of his grip, still shaking her head resolutely no. "Don't tell me no. Not about this. Not when you're so clearly ready to collapse!" His tone was fierce, Hook all but dragging her down onto the bench.

She resisted him every step of the way, and even once he had pushed her down, Belle retained that stiff, unyielding determination. He realized that it was her way of shielding herself, Belle trying to keep from a complete emotional breakdown.

Hook wasn't sure he was equipped to deal with her pain, but felt he had to try. He OWED it to her after all, given what she had done for him. He sat down next to her, and stared straight ahead, noting the closed shops across the street. Belle's own gaze was drawn to one in particular, to the pawn shop that had been her and the crocodile's home.

"Belle..."

"I don't want to go back there." She whispered. "I don't..It's too much of a reminder..."

"Then don't." Hook interrupted her. "I'm sure there are plenty of people you could stay with. Your father, your friend the wolf..."

"They all tried to warn me about him." Belle stated in a dulled tone of voice. "They all said he was nothing but bad...that he was a monster, a villain, and that he would hurt me in the end like he hurts everyone else. I listened to their words, and I was so arrogant. So confidant that I would be different, that he would be different. I thought...I thought my love was enough, that I could change him, that he wanted to change..."

"He's a fool." Hook was blunt. "A power hungry coward and a fool. It's not your fault that he didn't change, that he didn't want to change."

"Maybe. but I...I made too many excuses for him. I over looked too much." Belle admitted. "I'm as much a fool as he is."

"I don't know if I would go that far." Hook tried a smile out on her. "You're young, and you were in love..." She visibly flinched at that. "Love blinds us, makes us strong but also makes us weak. It's not wrong to want to believe in the best of the person you gave your heart to." He smiled again. "Just as it's not wrong to want to be the best for that person too..."

She fixed him with a sidelong glance. "Is that what you're trying to do? Be your best for Emma's sake?"

"Well yes. But I also have found that being the villain has never satisfied me. It just left me bitter and hollowed out, chasing after a revenge and the death that would follow. I wasn't enjoying life, hadn't for a long time. I guess in a way I am a fool too because I waste so much time."

"But you're not wasting time now." Belle noted.

"Well I am trying not to." Hook allowed. "Especially now that I've been given another chance. A chance that I owe all to you." Belle looked down at her lap at that, and Hook nudged her shoulder with his. "I want-NEED to thank you for that."

"I didn't do it for your thanks..."

"I know. You did it because it was the right thing, the only thing a person like you could do. You're a hero Belle, and you're reasons for doing it, doesn't change the fact that you did save me. You kept my heart from being crushed, AND you got me another chance at life and making things right this time around. It's a chance I am not going to waste."

"Good, I'm glad." A rare glimmer of a hesitant smile was seen, Belle seeming to soften just an iota. "It wasn't all for nothing, if something good can happen as a result of my mistakes."

He smiled back at her. "I am going to do my best Belle. To make myself worthy of the chance you gave me. I can't at all promise I won't misstep and stumble, but..." Hook shrugged. "I don't ever want to go back to the man I once was. That pirate with a heart so rotten he hadn't been able to appreciate anything, not even the life he was living."

"Not that it was much of a life." He admitted with a soft chuckle. "I was so focused on my revenge, on the grief I was feeling..."

"How DID you let go?" A curious Belle asked. "How did you work through your grief?"

"For many years, longer than I care to admit to, I didn't." Hook answered her. "In some ways I still struggle with it, but I found when I let go of my need for revenge, I let go of a lot of my regrets over Mila. I won't lie and say I stopped hating him for what he had done...But I no longer thirsted for Rumplestiltskin's blood."

Belle was quiet at that, looking down at her lap again. The faint glimmer of a smile had gone from her face, Belle making fists on her lap just before she made a demand of him. "Tell me." She said. "Tell me all the things that he made you do..."

Hook winced in reply. "Are you sure about that, love? It's nowhere near pretty, and it's most likely going to make you hurt more than feel better."

"It WILL hurt." Belle admitted. "But it also might help...if only to remind me of the kind of man Rumplestiltskin truly was."

"If you're certain..."

"I am." She looked up and locked eyes with him. "Please Hook, do this for me?"

"It's the least I can do." Hook sighed, then responded to the confused look in her eyes. "I'm not kidding when I say I owe you. It's a debt I can't possibly begin to repay, and what I have to say won't do you any favors. It'll hurt more than help, and that's a fact."

Belle was frowning. "You don't owe me a thing." She protested.

"Which is all the more reason why I do!" Hook insisted with a gentle smile. "It was a selfless act..."

"It may have been, but I never wanted...never intended..."

"You have it all the same." Hook told her. "Not just for tonight, but for all the came before, all the hurt I did to you, all the ways I tried to use you against him. I can't ever say I am sorry enough, may never be able to truly repay you, but I am going to try!"

She was staring at him open mouthed. Hook wasn't a man to blush, but he felt sheepish all the same.

"You're looking at me like I am talking crazy."

"Well maybe just a little..." Belle said slowly. "That or Emma Swan has got you so addled." She seemed to look around, as if just noticing the main street was all but empty. "Where is Emma anyway?"

"Emma..." He fought to hide his displeasure. "She had...had to do something with Regina."

"Regina?" Belle blinked rapidly in surprise. "I cant say I don't question her choices, given what almost happened tonight. I mean, I don't see how she can stay away, how she can NOT be spending every second with the man she had nearly lost." The next was said almost too softly, Belle looking the saddest since Hook had made her sit down. "I certainly wouldn't be able to do it...stay away I mean."

Uncomfortable now, Hook turned away. "She's...She's the Savior, and that means I have to share her with the town." But it felt like he was making excuses.

Belle didn't argue against his words, to Hook's relief, the man leaning back in his seat. Belle's words lingered inside him, the woman having made the same kind of observation Hook had been having earlier. Because he too wondered why, HOW Emma could stay away, how she could not be spending every second with him, how the blonde could deny them both a chance for a deeper reassurance.

He didn't know and if Hook was honest, there was a part of him that really, really didn't like the rejection he sensed in Emma's actions. But Hook didn't voice any of this to Belle, keeping his own worries and doubts locked within. Instead he began to tell her what Belle wanted to know, starting with the first attempts at blackmail, and leading all the way to what had happened after Rumplestiltskin had taken his heart.

Bravely enduring the list of lengthy crimes and misdeeds, Belle's worst reaction was to let her eyes fill with tears for the fairies. Hook had to look away then, ashamed of himself, ashamed of what he had been forced to do. But in the end, Belle had placed her hand on his, and given him her understanding. It wasn't an outright forgiveness, but Belle hadn't hated Hook for what he had done, what he had had to tell her. He could only hope Emma was half as understanding, Hook fearing the future, what tomorrow's dawning would bring.

To Be Continued...eventually?

So yeah...idea that I have had stuck in my head since the winter finale. Like a day after it started bothering me. It wouldn't let go of me, so I had to write it out, at least the start of it. Anyway, this is Hook Belle end game, with a side helping of Swan Queen end game. It kinda really bugged me that the writers didn't have Emma spend more time with Hook. She almost lost him for good that ep! And instead she goes running off with Henry and Regina?!

Anyway! This is supposed to be about Hook feeling he has to repay Belle for what she did for him. My plans are Rumplestiltskin comes back, and Hook tries to protect her from him. I actually have this weird idea that Hook and Belle maybe go on a weird road trip, on the run from Rumple. But we'll see. I need to get back to updating my other stories right now. XD

I also feel like this chapter sucks pretty bad. X_X But hey, at least I have a title for once!

-Michelle


	2. Chapter 2

Everyday got just a little easier, Belle settling into a routine. Breakfast at Granny's and a later lunch with Ruby. A quick visit with her father, the man making it a point to fill her arms with fresh flowers. The library was then filled with them, every available nook and cranny holding a few, the flowers making for a fragrant, colorful display that did much to cheer the hearts of all who saw them. But never hers. Not when there was so much pain still there, Belle's heart simply too full of raw hurt to be happy.

She tried though. Or at the very least Belle tried to put on a convincing show to her friends. But the smile never reached her eyes, the blue color of them no longer so vibrant and alive. Her spirit had stifled, Belle a hollow shell of who she had once been and it was made all the worse to see by the woman's attempts to pretend otherwise.

She kept on trying though, Belle forcing herself to stick to her routine. Nights spent watching movies with Ruby, and crashing in a spare room of Granny's. Waking up bright and early, and getting ready for the day. Walking down the main street, but always making sure to never go near one certain shop in particular. Opening and maintaining the library, a task that not only took the greater part of the day, but also a fair share of the evening. Only to close up and return to Granny and Ruby, an insincere smile plastered on her face, her eyes rimmed with red as Belle tried to hide the fact that she had once again been crying.

But it WAS getting easier. Belle no longer spent every private moment weeping. Belle didn't know if it meant she was starting to cry herself out, or if she was coming to grips with what had happened. With ALL that had happened, Belle closing her eyes, the slightest of slight shudders going through her. She couldn't stop fully from remembering, the gauntlet, the dagger, the heart in his hands, the look on his face. Rumplestiltskin had looked as tortured as Belle herself now felt, the man actually crying and it hadn't been enough. He hadn't been sorry enough, Belle knowing Rumplestiltskin's only regret was that he had been caught.

She quickly shook her head, trying to will herself not to go down that path. Not to let the memories continue to haunt her, the what ifs and the countless hopes for things to have turned out to be different. Most of all Belle tried not to remember his cry as she had forced him over the town line, or the desperate, pleading look on his face as Rumplestiltskin had tried to reach for her one last time.

Instead she tried to focus on the books before her, Belle smiling at the child, a young girl whose mother had to hold her impatient hands back. The child was grabbing for the books faster than Belle could stamp them, and the harried mother muttered an apology to the pretty librarian. Belle took it all in stride, a smile in place that couldn't reach her eyes.

The last of the books stamped, the mother and her child hurried out of the library. Other people came and went, making just enough work for Belle to keep busy enough not to really think. She preferred it that way, these busy moments a dozen times better than the quiet ones, especially the seemingly endless nights alone in her bed. She'd toss and she'd turn, Belle unable to sleep more than a few hours, tortured by dreams, by the memories, by her broken heart's pain.

Her torment such that she had to keep busy, Belle had never once considered closing down the library. Not even the day after that fateful night, when her body had been so weary from a miles long walk, when her heart had been hurting, gouged out and emptied, with the most potent of pain existing where only love and light had once been. Not even then, Belle persisting despite Ruby's protests, there bright and early with that fake, insincere smile in place.

Those first days at the library, Belle had cried every chance she could get, the woman sometimes sneaking off to the private back room to weep and sob over what had been lost. It wasn't just the man she was mourning, and it wasn't just the love that she was missing, but the woman that she had been. That bright eyed, naive but hopeful lass. The one who had dared to dream big, who had sought adventure and the chance to mold her own destiny. The one who had believed in the best of everyone, even a man that many had considered a monster. That woman was gone, and Belle didn't know what was left, and if the beauty was honest, she hadn't the strength to find out.

And so she kept on taking it one day at a time, sticking to her routine. Convinced that little by little it was getting easier, that she was crying less, feeling less, hurting less. And little by little, something did change, life continuing all around her. People moved on with their lives, finding Storybook was safe for the first time in years. They laughed, loved, lived, their lives almost carefree now that there was no curses or monsters to worry about.

Storybrooke itself settled into a routine, the people working, the people living. They came in and out of her life, Belle seeing just about everyone in town thanks in huge part to the library that she had always loved. There was always someone to see, someone to help, people starved for the books, for the entertainment to be found on their pages. The library itself flourished, acheviing a popularity never before had and Belle could admit why. Because he was gone, because she had cut ties with him, Rumplestiltskin no longer a presence at the library that could and had shown up at any time.

It pained her to admit it, to acknowledge that the reason her library had been empty for so long, had nothing to do with a people's lack of interest, and everything to do with her relationship with Rumplestiltskin. The people of Storybrooke just hadn't wanted to run the risk, many of them going to extraordinary lengths to avoid running into the man. He wasn't well liked, was actually feared, and few if any would ever do anything to purposefully call his attention to them.

It was different now, the library no longer so empty and lifeless. People filled in the small space, took seats at the table, browsed the aisles and aisles of books. They lingered and enjoyed themselves, actually took time to make conversation with each other and her. Belle welcomed their gossip, wanting the distraction it gave from her own private torment. The ins and outs of Storybook, the who was with who, the tales of jobs, of schools, of every day struggles. The tales of whose child was in trouble, whose marriage was on the rocks, whose health was on the mend, she listened to it all. But she never had much of a reaction, her hurt heart allowing her to maintain only a polite interest in what was being said.

Not even Ruby's chatter could truly draw Belle out of the shell she had built around her, the brunette beauty often listless and withdrawn. She'd still listen to everything Ruby had to say, everything from the wolf badmouthing Rumplestiltskin and his choices, to what the details were of the lives of those closest to them. Belle heard it all, how Snow White was making a go at being the mayor of a town free of magical mayhem and mishaps. How Regina was adjusting to simply being a private citizen, how she and the savior were up to something though Ruby hadn't been able to sniff out just what. She heard about David, about Henry, about Grumpy and the other dwarves. And finally she had heard about Hook, though it took a few tries for Ruby's words to reach through.

It seemed the former pirate wasn't doing too good in the wake of the fall out of all that had transpired. Not everyone in Storybrooke was of mind to be forgiving, even with knowing for a fact that Hook had wiped out the Blue Fairy's court while under duress. Murders aside, there was also the fact he had let the whole town be endangered, many in Storybrooke feeling the pirate should have found a way to warn everyone about what Rumplestiltskin was up too. These people were ones who had no real experience with the dark magic of having their hearts stolen, sorely underestimating just how fully it stripped one of all free will.

There was of course some who sympathized with the pirate. These were few and far in between, and slowly Belle began to realize she was one of them. She had after all heard a first hand accounting of all his misdeeds, had seen the change in Hook himself, the man different from the pirate who had once terrorized her. But some others couldn't, wouldn't see, and they were of the vast majority who were outright shunning the pirate.

It was that sad fact that got Belle to react, that got her to feel more than just a passing interest in what Ruby was saying. She actually frowned, actually commented on the injustice of it all. Ruby had given her a wide eyed look in return, Belle more animated than the wolf had seen in weeks.

"It wasn't his choice!"

"I think they know that deep down." Ruby was quick to say. "But they're still.."

"Looking to cast blame?" A sharp tone was spoken with that question. "It's WRONG. Hook is as much a victim as anyone else was. Rumplestiltskin and Ingrid were the true masterminds of all that went down."

"I know, I know." Ruby was nodding her head in agreement. "But it doesn't change the fact that..."

"That what?!" Belle interrupted her. "What could possibly justify such treatment?" But inside she already knew, Belle understanding that many in Storybook were not only angry, but afraid. And they were looking for a target, someone to let lose all that negativity on. The pirate had become the unfortunate casualty of such fear and rage, the people behaving towards him in ways they would have never dared do to Rumplestiltskin.

It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right, Hook in effect Rumplestiltskin's scapegoat. Belle felt something like pity in her heart, thinking how tough things must be for the pirate. But at least he had Emma, the Savior in his corner. She said as much out loud, then watched the quiet way Ruby had responded.

"What?" a wary tone asked that question, Belle staring at Ruby who seemed to fidget and shift in place. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Well..." Ruby bit at her bottom lip, clearly loathe to say any more, the woman not wanting to rile Belle up any further. "They kind of...He kind of...don't."

"Don't what?"

"Have Emma I mean." Ruby's admission drew a shocked stare from the brown haired beauty, the wolf giving her an apologetic look back. Belle couldn't muster up a reply, thinking back on all she had heard, all the gossip and chatter, and that included the things Ruby had told her. Belle hadn't noticed it then, but she did now,the distinct lack of news about Hook and the Savior together. She had heard all about Emma, about her job as the sheriff, her sharing joint custody with Regina. Belle had also heard about Hook, how he had become something of a drifter, wandering the town half the time drunk and getting into the occasional fight.

"I just...just assumed." Belle began to say. "I thought for sure they had worked it all out."

"She just couldn't forgive him. Not just for the fairies, for endangering the town, for trying to kidnap Henry." Ruby said. "Emma couldn't get over Hook putting himself in the position to be used by Rumplestiltskin in the first place. And over something so trifling as a hand!"

"He did it for her!" Belle protested. "Hook did it because he wanted to be whole for her."

"His not having two hands never mattered to Emma." Ruby told her. "She accepted him as he was, hook and all."

"But..."

"And let's face it. He lied to her before his heart had been taken." pointed out Ruby. "He could have gone to her and told her about Rumplestiltskin's attempt to blackmail. Instead he got deeper and deeper into trouble, and helped Rumplestiltskin murder a man."

"Hook made a mistake. We all do." protested Belle.

The look Ruby gave Belle was a pitying one. "How many mistakes can one person get away with? Belle, honey, I know you are a very forgiving person. That you try to see the best in ever single person you meet. But some people...some people are simply rotten to the core. They don't deserve the chances we give them..."

"No, I don't believe that." Her hair bounce from the force in which Belle shook her head no. "People can change...people can become better. HE can become better!"

"And which he are we really talking about now?" Ruby's question drew Belle up short with a shocked hiss. "Hook or Rumplestiltskin?" The wolf's eyes softened with a sympathetic light, Ruby taking a hold of one of Belle's hands. "You know you did the right thing there, don't you?"

Belle nodded, the movement and response practically automatic. "I do. I had to protect the town. It was the only way."

"You had to protect more than the town." Ruby was quick to point out. "You had to protect yourself, your heart and your feelings."

Once that might have been enough to get Belle to burst into tears. Now instead she merely gave a sickly smile to Ruby, out loud speaking agreement on that, but inside fearing she had failed in that regard. Her heart wasn't protected, it hurt too badly, her feelings all torn up and twisted, and Belle was in pain, tortured by more than just what had happened at the town line.

She had been a fool for love, and Belle might never forgive herself for the things she had let happen. The things she had done, the things she had turned a blind eye too. If anyone deserved some of the blame, it was HER not Hook, and Belle told Ruby as much that, the wolf vigorously protesting..

"No, Belle no!"

Not in a mood to argue over what she knew was fact, Belle just faked a sad smile, and nodded in weary agreement. She'd soon make an excuse to turn in to bed early, for once not interested in the distraction that was movie night with Ruby. The wolf let her go with minimal fuss, Belle going to the spare room of Granny's, and getting ready for bed. But the pattern remained, Belle unable to sleep. She thought about Rumplestiltskin, about all he had done, that Belle had done in turn. But more than that, she thought about Hook, about the things Ruby had said. About his break up, and the townspeople's animosity, and whether or not he could truly stay changed. Belle thought that he could, that Hook stood a very good chance of being something other than a villainous pirate if only someone would give him a chance. It was a chance Belle was determined to see him get, a chance she would give him, the beauty having decided that come the morning, she would seek out the pirate herself.

To Be Continued...

I worry this is a sort of boring chapter. But it was kind of necessary to start setting things up. Hopefully next chapter should have some actual Hook Belle interaction!

So I was feeling a little stuck on how to get from point a to point B. I was pretty sure they were going to go on that road trip I mused about in the author's note of the first chapter. Now I know they will for sure! I figured out some more details for that, but before I can get to that, I want to show Hook and Belle interacting in Storybrooke. I won't spoil too much, as three will show the set up of that, or at least the START of the set up of that. I still feel a little stuck on how to write stuff before the road trip happens...but hopefully I'll figure it out. I actually figured out a lot of stuff yesterday in bed! I had laid down for the night, and within 20 minutes I was back up and on the computer, adding the ideas to my notes, and starting the second chapter. Though by one something I had to go back to bed. XD

-Michelle

UTurner, thank you! That makes me so happy to read! I'm excited too, to see how I get through this story. ^^;;

Ula, more it is! Thanks!

Jade the Librarian, why thank you. :) Hmm...it almost feels like we Hook Belle shippers can't decide on a "official" pairing name. I've heard book, captain beauty, sailing beauty, but I think this is the first time I've heard captain book.

Thanks, I enjoyed reading your comments about these two, about how they have stuff in common and what not. I am excited for their road trip too. Especially now that I have more ideas about the details of leading up to it. ^_-

Clarembees, of my goodness! Your excitement, nay you enthusiasm is so wonderful to see! Yes, I loved the finale, especially when Belle of all people saved him! I was like YES! I was super thrilled, not just cause it was Belle who saved him, but because Hook didn't get killed! *celebrates*

Oh my goodness, I make you fall in even more love with him? *beams at the accomplishment* :D Thank you for all words and observations and feedback. Truly love them! :D

Jewelzy, thank you, I am too!

Fantasy Is Free, I wanna see that too. XD Thanks! Though I worry about Hook, cause of Rumple's powers. X_X Ay yi yi...

00Ambrosie00, thank you. I'm glad you liked the start of it!


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